• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Forty former New People’s Army rebels who abandoned the armed struggle have sought the help of authorities regarding threats they received from the remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor.
Their concerns on security were aired during a dialog with Mayor Melecio “Beboy” Yap, Lt. Col. J Jay Javines, 79th Infantry Battalion commander, city police deputy chief Maj. Wenc Alcuber, and Atty. Charo Tupas Fajardo, in Brgy. Old Escalante, Escalante City, on April 12.
The former rebels told Mayor Yap, Javines and the police that they received letters from the NNF “discrediting and threatening them for returning to mainstream society, and choosing the path to peace.”
“We would like to request for a strengthened security and direct communication to counter these threats,” one of the former rebels said.
“I will not turn my back on you. The government will continue to extend help and provide ways to shield you from any threats as you continue living in the mainstream of society,” Yap responded during the meeting.
Javines and the Escalante police also took turns in assuring their safety, along with assistance in availing government programs intended for them.
The former rebels thanked Yap, the military and police for assurance of their safety.
Escalante City has the most number of insurgency-cleared villages in Negros Occidental, totaling at least 14 barangays which received funding from the Local Government Support Fund-Support to Barangay Development Program.*
